She catches Amnayel's eye and nods her head a fraction, giving the paladin her opinion.
Lyanthari shrugs. "You could use your own magic to teleport, of course, if you prefer. Though you'll have to guess as to the exact location of the Whispering Tyrant's forces. The circles will take you right where you need to go."
"I do not trust you, but I am all in favor of eliminating these evil dwellers you speak of. Let us pass to, what did you call it, cause minor mischief? And when we are done we will return." For you.
"I suppose that is within reason." Ulrich says as he mulls it over. He picks up a glass of wine. "I see no reason why you would poison your new associates. To our health, and the Tyrant's downfall."
Gabbi doesn't trust herself to say anything to the abomination and finds herself already calculating the weakest point in the creatures form. The best place to sink blessed arrows.
Her eyes move to first one vampire and then the other. Watching the flex of a undead muscle. The shift of an eye. Waiting for the moment the betrayal comes.
The wine is remarkably tasty, and Lyanthari drinks along with Ulrich. ”Alright, go on, then. I’ll be watching your progress from here.”
Exiting the shrine, you have a choice of places to start—the ghast to the north, the demilich to the east, or the undead medusa to the south.
Given what they've been told Allie heads south.
"The demilich is the least threat by the sound of it." She explains. "Whereas a medusa could be a nasty, nasty threat. Best to deal with her first."
"I can deal with petrification." Ulrich says. "But her company may include constructs, and that may be a pain."
"A medusa. Lovely," is Gabbi's response. "If I get petrified, you'd better bring me back just like I am," she says to Ulrich. "No elves or ... or centaurs ... or ... or goblins. Just me."
"Bring them all on."
Amnayel turns to Gabriella and comments "For what it's worth, I think you would make a beautiful centaur, Gabriella."
When ready, she then casts a few spells to protect them. "Gather around." she instructs, reaching out to put both of her hands on either twin.
If they are able to determine when they are about to start combat, she will use divine bond before going in, otherwise she will wait until they are engaged.
"That... that is not how it works." Ulrich stammers.
Ulrich draws upon his own lifeforce to bolster that of his allies.
- Mage Armour
- Extended Shield
- False Life, greater
- Dancing Lantern
- Veil of Heaven
- Protection from Evil
Amnayel turns to Gabriella and comments "For what it's worth, I think you would make a beautiful centaur, Gabriella."
Gabbi looks away, her perfect skin actually showing a trace of color. A moment later and she looks back. "I think Allie would make a much prettier centaur," she says with a rare smile. "I can just see her trotting along with her breasts bouncing in the wind." Her grin broadens as she turns to her sister. "Would you let me ride you?" she asks.
Allie has no buffs to offer the group but does grin widely at her sister.
"Of course, you can ride me any time Gabbi. You know that. That goes for you too Amny."
Then she winks at her sister.
"Let's keep moving." She says, so that no-one realises just how far her sister's mind is wandering.
As you approach the Petrified Halls, you see that they are appropriately named. The walls and ceiling appear to be composed entirely of interconnected petrified creatures of varying sizes (though most are human soldiers and their mounts from the Shining Crusade). There is only 10 feet of overhead clearance, and several partitions seem to be funneling you on a certain direction...
As the partitions start limiting movement Allie frowns. "I don't like this. I need to stay in the middle, just in case. Once I cast we need to move, it'll last three minutes at most."
She gathers the group together and then incants a Holy Aura around the group.
As you make your way through the macabre passage of petrified creatures, a sibilant voice sounds from somewhere nearby. "Welcome to my gallery! Are you enjoying the artwork?"
After a moment, the voice sounds again from somewhere else. "Who are you? Be you friends or foes?"
It's difficult to pinpoint the exact source of the voice.
Gabbi doesn't respond to the voice and invokes a powerful prayer. "Can anyone see her?" she asks when she's done, her hands tightening on her bow.
"One moment." Amnayel says, detecting evil to pinpoint the speaker.
Amnayel can sense a strong evil aura coming from beyond the stone partition to the west, about 30 feet away.
"Well? Are you going to answer me? Or are you just here to cause violence and mayhem?" says the voice from a slightly different position.
"What's your favorite piece?" Gabbi calls out.
Allie takes advantage of the conversation to cast True Seeing on herself.
Ulrich shields his eyes from the near blinding light. He quickly slices his hand with his scalpel, then draws forth the power of his blood to fuel a summoning spell. Suddenly, three hound archons poof into being. "Find the undead medusa." Ulrich commands in Celestial.
You can hear the voice sigh as Allie and Ulrich cast their spells...
"Come out and face us, Coward!" Gabbi calls out, an arrow nocked to the string.
She then casts a second spell.
There is the sound of cracking stone from further in the corridor. A few moments later, a strange creature comes around the partition, heading for you! This bipedal jackal has vulture wings and a rat tail ending in a scorpion’s stinger. Each of its four arms ends in a clawed hand. It pounces upon Amnayel, ripping into the paladin with its claws and stinging her with its tail!
"Oh, you did not just send a deathsnatcher against us," Gabbi says with a shake of her head.
The deathsnatcher wavers on its feet as Gabbi's arrows leave it on the brink of consciousness!
Allie saunters up to the creature and taps it on the chest with a glowing hand.
Amnayel lays hands on herself before channeling and moving towards the evil, hidden(?) speaker that welcomed them.
"My Love? Would you be so kind as to administer a 'Good Touch' on the departing deathsnatcher?" Gabbi says to her sister with a grin.
"Sniff her out!" Ulrich commands the archons. He uses his periapt to heal some of his wounded muscles.
Nosoi takes to the skies and peers around with his spiritsense.
As the deathsnatcher falls and Allie makes sure it stays down, Amnayel and the archons move around the partition. There, they see a pair of half-orcs standing amid chunks of broken stone. One is clad in full plate with a heavy flail and a lion-headed shield. The other wears studded leather and grips a short sword.
The sword-wielder shouts and spins his blade in a dazzling display, unaware that Amnayel is immune to fear. The full plate wielder steps up and slams the paladin with his shield. He doesn't push her back. The shield animates as the lion's head bites at Amnayel, but her armor holds!
"You're only prolonging the inevitable," Gabbi calls out as she shifts her aim to the leather-clad half-orc and fires. "We will strike down every minion you send against us and we'll still come for you."
"Ignore them and continue your search." Ulrich says. He takes his time to use his pearl of power to recharge False Life.
The leather-wearing half-orc goes down in a hail of arrows. Gabbi shifts her aim and strikes the plate-clad warrior twice!
Allie infuses Gabbi with magic before continuing her cheerful walk through the statues.
"Just remember, you rock sis!" She says happily, as Gabbi is bolstered by Divine Power!
"That don't impress me much." Amnayel says in response to the attempted fear attack. In response, she introduces him to her weapon, "You should instead be fearing the wrath that is about to be brought down about your miserable existence. I shall now deliver you to peace." and begins to swing her blade, smiting the creature.
The second halforc falls to Amnayel’s holy blade!
The archons sniff the undead medusa’s lingering scent, leading through the remaining partitions and to the east...
"Follow the hounds!" Allie declares cheerfully.
The passage opens up into a spacious cavern, stretching nearly 100 feet in each dimension. Five pillars of intertwined statues support the ceiling, with the larger central pillar forming a fortified tower 30 feet across. A trench along the room’s perimeter is 20 feet deep, with a smooth stone bottom and statue-lined sides. Three bridges arch across the trench from three exits, intersecting at the central pillar.
Nosoi's spirit sense alerts you to living creatures hiding among the statues of the central pillar. Indeed, two hulking gargoyles step forth to confront you, snarling and preparing to charge!
"Gargoyles? Really?" Gabbi calls out. "You must be getting extremely desperate."
Clustered Shots - damage is totaled before applying DR.
Gabbi swiftly takes down one of the gargoyles with her arrows. The second one grabs a statue from the pillar and hurls it at the inquisitor!
Moments later, a horde of wights in full plate clambers up out of the trench. Curiously, each one seems to be missing a hand. This doesn't slow them down, though, as they form into a troop and begin to rush towards you!
"Charge!" Ulrich commands the archons. He conjures up a classic fireball to engulf most of the wights in flame.
The piece of stone slamming into her only seems to solidify Gabbi's resolve, which is almost as unmoving as her magically enhanced skin.
"You will fall as all foes have fallen before us," she declares as she returns fire at the remaining gargoyle.
The fireball engulfs the wights, badly wounding them! Gabbi calmly dispatches the second gargoyle and finishes off the surviving wights with more of her empowered arrows! Within moments, all of the enemies lie slain.
Passages head to the northeast and southeast. The hound archons can smell the medusa's passage down the southeast one.
We go southeast, obviously
"We should probably go a bit faster!" Allie declares, suiting actions to words.
The southeast tunnel descends at approximately a 30-degree angle, opening into a subterranean aquifer. Here water wells up, forming a subterranean pool and an island composed entirely of petrified creatures. The pool is 15 feet deep. The expansive ceiling is supported largely by the sinuous body of an immense sea serpent that forms one unbroken arch.
Aeonte floats here. She resembles nothing more than a disembodied head with snakes for hair, connected to a mass of dangling organs and entrails. ”You are persistent, I’ll give you that. But now you will either die or join my collection!” Her eyes flash green, and the giant serpent supporting the ceiling reverts to flesh! Rocks crack and crumble down from above as the beast roars and thrashes!